A wild idea for the beginning of the year

Last week I went to the Responsive Classroom training. This week I'm at the local Audubon site learning about integrating field work and inquiry into the science standards.

The overlap and connections are exciting.

I'm not going down that rabbit hole right now, however.

It has gotten me thinking about the beginning of school, and that's what I'm here to publicly process. (Because don't all writers need an authentic audience?! Remind me of that come Writers Workshop time.)

For grad credit, we need to create a unit where we are integrating inquiry and field work into one of our science units. We have time during the class to work on it, with the expectation that we will teach the unit in the fall and come back together in November to reflect together.

This all sounds great-the only problem being that we don't actually know which units and standards we are teaching in 4th grade this year in my district. I get that we still have 3 more weeks before school starts, but that's not good enough for me. I'm a slow processor and I like and need the summer to process and plan and just think about what I'm going to do.

And oh yeah, I have this unit I need to create. Today.

So I've been thinking about my Responsive Classroom training and how to structure the first six weeks of school to create a place of belonging, significance and fun for and with students. I read Tracy Zager's post on the Stenhouse website about how to start the school year with math tasks and cultivate a classroom culture of mathematics. And of course this class about inquiry in science: open ended questions, field work, being vulnerable with students to not know all the answers.

And I got to thinking: don't we want to foster a love of learning for all students across content areas? Don't we want them to be good thinkers, questioners, perseverers, etc. across content areas? Aren't the qualities of a good scientist the same as the qualities of a good mathematician and a good social scientist? Don't we need to create a classroom community of inquiry and curiosity? And don't we need to create a classroom community where students feel like they belong, have significance and have fun (a la Responsive Classroom)? So that they can be good mathematicians, scientists, etc. etc. etc.

So why is everything so separate? Why can't I spend the first six weeks (or maybe a little less) creating classroom community and learning the habits and skills of being good learners. Across content areas. Making connections.

So this is what I'm thinking:
(My thinking is in it's very beginning stages)
a week (ish) of focusing on math task(s)
a week (ish) of focusing on science experiments/questions
a week (ish) of focusing on social studies big questions

All the while doing Interactive Modeling on the routines and procedures students need within the classroom context. Reading books and writing reflections. Charting our thinking on what it means to be a great learner based on what mathematicians, scientists and social scientist do. Learning about each other.

Clearly I need to continue to think through this. I don't want to bite off more than I can chew with 4th graders. I need to remember that I don't know my students-they are not the ones I left at the end of last year. I'm considered the "progressive" teacher in my school so these ideas would be very new for students. This would require a lot of planning to make sure that we are still mastering the routines and procedures we need.

I'm running off to my class, and I'm only going back to proofread this for typos-because I hate typos-but not for clarity. My thoughts are messy and I'd love your help and feedback to refine them.

Interactive Modeling a la Responsive Classroom and Problem Solving

I spent last week at a Responsive Classroom training. And it was amazing. If you don't know anything about them, go check them out right now. Really, check them out! They believe in a high quality education for everyone everyday. They give teachers concise, positive, effective strategies to do that.

One of those strategies is called Interactive Modeling. It's not mind blowing. It's basically just the teacher modeling certain things you want students to do correctly. And that there is only one way to do it. It could be things like throwing something away (walk to the trash can, put your hand over the can before you place the trash in there, and walk back) or how to talk to your turn and talk partner (turn your body so you are sitting in front of your partner, be an active listener, and turn back when you are done). This type of modeling is different from other ways since after you model what to do, you ask for feedback from students about what they saw you do. Students have ownership over the procedures so it's not so teacher directed.

At one point while talking about Interactive Modeling, we got into small groups to brainstorms ways that we can use it in an academic setting, rather than just about classroom procedures. Remember, the purpose of this strategy is when there is only one way to do something. Immediately another teacher in my group came up with problem solving in math.

We can teach kids through Interactive Modeling (remember: only one way to do something) how to solve a word problem, suggests one of my group mates.

Yeah, step one, circle the key words, chimes in another.

And this is when I just don't know what to do. Should I speak up and say "wait, there is more than one way to solve word problems!"? It wasn't the point of the activity. We were talking about Interactive Modeling, not problem solving, not math. So I just kept quiet.

Was that the wrong thing to do? Would that have been a perfect opportunity to let others know that key words don't work? That there are other strategies? Get on my soap box about math instruction? Show them about Numberless Word Problems and Notice/Wonder?

Is there a right way to have this type of conversation in this type of context?

I know this will happen again. I just hope to be better prepared next time.

End of Year Math Survey

As the year comes to a close, there are a thousand things I should be doing. Paperwork type stuff. But my brain is otherwise occupied. Today I gave my students a math survey. Inspired by this blog post. And all I want to do is dig in.

As I dusted off my blog here, I noticed that I hadn't written anything since the very beginning of the school year. So I guess it's fitting that I'm here to reflect at the end of the year. Or rather look at student reflections from the year. Or some combination of both, I'm going to guess.

I gave my students 6 questions to answer via Google Forms. I wanted it to be as anonymous as possible. I wanted my students to speak freely and I didn't want to be concerned about who was saying what. The questions are all open response types, because I only have 20 students and I wanted to hear what they wanted to say.

Question #1: What makes you a great mathematician?
I purposefully did not ask if they think they are a good mathematician or not. I know I have a handful of kids that would have answered no (they've said it to my face) and that would have shut down the rest of their thinking. Did this skew the data? Maybe. But I got some amazing answers.

Some I expected:
thinking
using tools
using strategies

And some that really wowed me:
I work even when it's hard
using different ways to show my thinking
to know what the problem is saying to me
the class [mates]
I work hard to try to find the right answer

Nobody said anything about working fast or getting the right answers all the time. It was all about the process.

Question #2: What do you want to do to be a better mathematician?
Better strategies, better tools and understanding the problems were themes. Most kids still want to work more on division. But again it wasn't about working faster. Or getting answers right. It really is about sense making.

Question #3:What has helped you be a great mathematician this year?
This is where I got some real gems.

ms Talia,ms houstin and my self and me making mastaks

doing math with a partner so that we both can share strategy's and do the work together

I am really not sure, but if I must answer this, it would just be time. I just need time to figure it out.

Kids are so smart! They know it's important to make mistakes, work with a partner and just needing time!

the teacher. but the reason why is because we usually do fun activities like the math games the estimating stuff and looking at pictures. That kind of stuff. Except more of it.

I try to be as focus as i can be and so i can stopt chating weth my friend

my flexabilaty with numbers and my great stradagies my teacher tought me

learning strategies.having two teachers to help on math

other new strategy's that other people or Ms. Talia tech me this whole year and that is how I got to be a much more better mathematician.

Notice the shout outs to #estimation180 and #noticewonder there? And what about learning from their classmates?! And strategies, strategies, strategies!

Question #4: What has Ms. Talia done to help you be a better mathematician this year?
My favorite answer:

One or two decent strategies. (maybe three)

Ha! Gotta love the sense of humor!

Question #5: What could Ms. Talia do differently next year?
I got some interesting feedback:

make more posters.

it would be better if you would't talk as much as you do now.

Ok, message received, less talk and more posters. (But goodness, how polite that feedback is!)

And maybe my favorite comment of the day:

still never give up on people

Question #6: Is there anything else you want to share with Ms. Talia about math this year?

i think you should still do those math problems on the board and we or someone that agrees with you they can defend your answer. Oh and when you let us debate about our answers.

I really like the way that you do with the notice and wonder problems and the number talks and the ones from Mr.Flecher

math was fun this year with the games and figuering out the problems.

Ms. Talia has though me to never give-up on a problem that you don't understand always cut the problem in little parts so you could understand it better. to never give up always try. 

That it was the best and funnest math I have ever had at school here!

She is the best teacher for math and every thing else! She is so much fun!

Some more shout outs to #noticewonder, Number Talks and Graham. They value defending their answers and debating about answers. Figuring out challenging problems. Persevering. Having fun in math!

And one friend who thinks that when all her friends know the answer and she doesn't, she feels like they know more than her.

some times al my frinds now the anser and i dont id i fill like tay now mor then me

Takeaways:
First I must be skeptical.
Did they just answer what they thought I wanted to hear?
Did I set them up to mostly give positive feedback?
Did they think someone else  was going to read this (even though I told them it was for me?)

Are mathematical mindsets really changing?

I've worked really hard on the areas students are commenting on, so I guess that means the work is paying off. There are still a thousand things that I want to do better, but if students think they need tools, strategies, partners, and time to be great mathematicians, then I'm going to call it a success.

Now if I really want to dig in further, I'm going to have to give them a survey about the other content areas in which I don't work nearly as hard.